Celebrity Aston surpasses estimate at Silverstone Classic sale

A 1966 Aston Martin DB6 that once belonged to Des O’Connor made £147,200 to help net Silverstone Auctions more than £2million on 27 July.

The car had been estimated to make £100-120k.

It was bought new by O’Connor, but later spent 30 years in a French barn before being completely rebuilt.

Other cars with famous connections included an ex-Bernie Ecclestone 1996 Ferrari 456, which made £34,500, while a 1969 Fiat 500 Gamine that was owned by the late Enid Blyton’s company fetched £29,325.

It was a 1965 Aston Martin DB5 that topped the sale, though, going for £373,750.

The Aston had been restored, with work including a mechanical overhaul, respray and a new interior.

An extraordinary 1958 Jaguar XK150 S Roadster, with just 580 miles on the clock, made £201,250.

It had been bought new in America and entered into the 1959 Bonneville Speed Trials where it was subsequently rolled.

Sold to its second owner, the car would remain in dry storage for 40 years, before it was spotted by a UK restorer’s, who promptly bought the car and returned it to showroom condition.

Other notable lots included an as-new 2005 Honda NSX Targa that sold for £80,500 – close to its original price – a Mini that had been hidden at the Longbridge factory since the ’70s (£1610), a 1967 Ford Lotus Cortina MkI (£38,525), a low-mileage ’69 Porsche 912 (£23,375) and a timewarp ’73 Audi 80LS (£10,925).